SLATINY – URBANISM

Centre for the Soul

BRIEF:

Slatiny is an emergency housing settlement established after 1924 in the valley of the Slatinský stream, east of Bohdalec, between Záběhlice and Strašnice. Due to its location, terrain configuration, and strong infrastructural barriers, it has long formed an isolated enclave – spatially and socially. Together with the wider surroundings, functioning as an inner urban periphery, it represents a suitable area for formulating an alternative urban vision of future transformation.

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The project was created as part of a semester assignment at the Faculty of Art and Architecture TUL in the studio of Jiří Klokočka. The individual proposals were conceived as a series of interconnected visions working with the theme of a “drama unfolding within the territory of Slatiny.” It is not a realistic short-term development plan, but an urban laboratory – speculative scenarios of possible future urban development.

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CONCEPT – Centre for the Soul:

The Centre for the Soul responds to a vision of a future society in which depression, anxiety, burnout syndrome, and psychosomatic disorders caused by an unsustainable lifestyle, work overload, and social isolation become major civilisational issues. In this scenario, psychological and psychiatric care becomes inaccessible, overloaded, and stigmatised, while the need for mental regeneration continues to grow.

 

In the proposal, Slatiny is understood as an ideal location for an experimental Centre for the Soul – a calm, green enclave situated almost in the centre of Prague, offering an alternative approach to mental health care without the label of institutional treatment. The centre is conceived as a terraced “village” embedded in the landscape, hosting psychotherapists, counsellors, and other specialists focused on mental and physical balance.

 

Instead of traditional waiting rooms, emphasis is placed on spending time in parks and gardens. After therapy sessions, users can access complementary functions – nutritional counselling, physical activities, yoga, tai chi, swimming, art therapy, craft workshops, meditation, spa facilities, canistherapy, or hippotherapy. The proposal also includes a small open-air animal sanctuary as a form of therapeutic contact with nature.

 

The entire area is crossed by an elevated walkable platform – a “High Line” – functioning as an independent urban organism. It accommodates cultural, social, and active life: pedestrian promenades, cycle paths, running tracks, and places for rest. Beneath the platform, cafés, slow-food restaurants, meeting spaces, and a theatre are located.

 

The remaining area of Slatiny is formed by two garden cities inspired by the Ořechovka district, while also referencing the original character of the workers’ colony – with an emphasis on community life, walkability, and local connections. The area is newly opened to the rest of the city, yet with a consciously preserved degree of seclusion and intimacy. Development is accompanied by the regulation of car traffic and a significant increase in green spaces.

Year: January 2016

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Project: urbanism structure

Author: Anna Nižňanská